Chapter 87

The Prey

The chilly wind bit at my skin as I stepped out of the car, Kyle lingered behind me with his usual unreadable expression. It was a miracle I didn’t encounter Judas. The coat he’d given me still hung heavy around my shoulders. My breath fogged in the early morning air, and I clenched my fingers around the small, inconspicuous flash drive tucked safely into the pocket of my jeans.

Ivan must be waiting. As I walked toward the cafeteria, my mind raced. Judas was a monster, something worse—a shadow that crept into places no one dared to go.

I stepped inside the cafeteria where several students were gathered. To my relief I didn’t find Alina. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee did little to calm the nausea churning in my stomach. There, in the back corner, he sat. Ivan.

Tall, brown-haired, and impeccably dressed, his smile was warm but soulless. His eyes pierced through me as I approached him. He rose, his gaze sliding over me, lingering a